It's a pleasure to spend time in any national park, but backpacking is extra special. To carry everything you need on your back and head into the relative wilderness, far from the nearest gift shop, is a rare experience these days. Lynne and I headed to Copper Creek, probably the furthest point we could realistically reach for an overnight trip, and hiked four miles up into the hills. It was really tough uphill in the heat, and almost as hard going back down, but for a few hours in the evening, all alone by the fire we built, eating chili and looking at the sun set on distant snow, it was perfect!